Effect of educational programs on asthma control and quality of life in adult asthma patients

Abstract

This study investigated the effectiveness of different educational programs in obtaining better asthma control and asthma-related quality of life (QoL). In 60 adult patients with moderate persistent asthma we tested the benefit of individual verbal instructions (IVI), written information ("asthma booklet", B), and integrated asthma classes ("asthma school", AS). At the enrollment and at the end of the study, all participants completed the questionnaires regarding their asthma-related knowledge (ArK) and QoL. During the 12-week period all patients recorded their asthma symptoms, morning and evening peek expiratory flow rates (PEFR), and the use of rescue medication. AS and IVI groups showed a significantly greater improvement in QoL than the B group. AS group obtained the highest ArK but no difference in the level of improvement among the groups has been documented. The improved average asthma symptom score and decreased utilization of the rescue medication were documented in all groups without significant differences among them. We also found significant improvements in both morning and evening PEFR in IVI group as well as in the morning PEFR in AS group. We conclude that among tested educational interventions the AS caused the best improvement in QoL while IVI produced the best overall response in both parameters of the asthma control and QoL.